Effects of Nontraditional Division III Lacrosse Participation on Movement Pattern Quality and Dynamic Postural Control.

Only 72 athletes were analyzed from 78 volunteers, and only 22 were women, so results are limited, especially for women. All athletes came from one university, so they may not represent other schools or divisions. The study did not randomize athletes or include a comparison group, so changes over eight weeks cannot be confidently attributed to the season. Time of day, nutrition, and workout status were not controlled, so fatigue or training timing could have affected screens. The paper tracked screening scores, not injuries, so it does not show whether these movement changes increased or decreased actual injury risk. All participants were classified as high risk by Move2Perform at both time points, which may limit how well the tests detect change. The method for asking athletes to rate their own movement quality was not validated, so perception findings are tentative.

The authors reported no conflicts of interest and no funding.

Do not read the unchanged total movement screen score as evidence that athletes' movement quality stayed the same. Individual asymmetries and ankle dorsiflexion changed over the season, and the study did not track injuries.